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Keeping the OS/2 Flame Alive

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the burn-baby-burn dept.

nanday writes "Ever wondered what happened to OS/2? With IBM officially abandoning the operating system last year, users are relying on a third party version of OS/2 -- and, increasingly, using free and open source software to keep it alive." From the article: "According to Haverblad, the main reason that users stay with OS/2 is for 'features that Windows and Linux don't have yet.' He singles out the REstructured eXtended eXecutor (REXX), an interpreted programming language known for its ease of use, a 'rock solid kernel,' 'excellent multitasking,' and low system requirements. Haverblad also claims a lack of viruses and spyware and, referencing a report on OS/2 Warp Server by Secunia, fewer security vulnerabilities." Newsforge is also an OSTG site.

10 of 316 comments (clear)

  1. REXX was also available for Amiga...and others... by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 4, Informative
    "...the REstructured eXtended eXecutor (REXX), an interpreted programming language known for its ease of use..."

    REXX was also available for Amiga...and others...
    See: http://rexxla.org/Links/

  2. viruses by blue_adept · · Score: 4, Informative

    Haverblad also claims a lack of viruses and spyware.

    um, having a lack of USERS tends to do that.

    --

    "Is this just useless, or is it expensive as well?"
  3. Obligatory Bill Gates Quote by ribuck · · Score: 5, Informative
    "I believe OS/2 is destined to be the most important operating system, and possibly program, of all time. As the successor to DOS, which has over 10,000,000 systems in use, it creates incredible opportunities for everyone involved with PCs."

    -- Bill Gates, from "OS/2 Programmer's Guide" (forward by Bill Gates)

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    Paid Q&A/Research
  4. Re:Rock Solid Multitasking? by NullProg · · Score: 4, Informative

    I developed for OS/2 for about 7 years. Yes the kernel had threads and a solid multitasking support but the flawed design of Presentation Manager (PM) caused a single rogue app to lock up the desktop and making it useless. The single message queue that IBM designed in PM, was one of the worst technical design decisions ever made. There added many workarounds to kill rogue apps but the results were pretty unreliable.

    It was fixed in 1996 with the release of version 4. Microsoft owns the copyright on PM, not IBM.

    Enjoy,

    --
    It's just the normal noises in here.
  5. OS/2 died on August 17, 1995 by mr_majestyk · · Score: 5, Informative

    On that day, OS/2's architect, Gordon Letwin, posted USENET message explaining why the system was doomed in the market. After that, it was all downhill.

  6. OS/2 Petition by Kadin2048 · · Score: 4, Informative

    I think it's worth pointing out this petition over at OS2World.com (which is still accepting signatures), asking IBM to release the source of OS/2.

    There are apparently some legal issues -- the most frequently cited one is that IBM might not hold copyright to all the code, since the project was originally done in collaboration with Microsoft and Corel -- but the request is that IBM open up all of the code that it has available and can legally release, and note what parts it can't, so that they could be re-implemented.

    I'm not sure it's ever going to happen, but it sure would be nice if it did.

    --
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  7. Re:The problem is... by AaronLawrence · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yeah, those old versions of browsers are really painful.

    --
    For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert. - Arthur C. Clarke
  8. ATM machines & OS/2 by harshmanrob · · Score: 5, Informative

    80% of the ATM machines in North America are running OS/2 right now. I'd call that one hell of an install base. I know this becuase my company does remote IT support for several banks, including one that plans to be the largest financial institution by the end of 2007. In that bank, a civil war is being fought between the Wintel and Unix/Linux side to decide what these ATM machines will run when IBM drops support. I do not know about you, but it scares the crap out of me to put in my ATM card and the next thing I see is a blue screen. That is when Mr. Crowbar will have to take over.

  9. Re:REXX was also available for Amiga...and others. by gmuslera · · Score: 4, Informative
    Is available for most OSs as there are free implementations of it. But in OS/2 was very tighly integrated with the OS, in a way that gives to that implementation extra value.

    Another thing i liked a lot about OS/2 is the WPS, that maybe by now there are better desktops, but back then was wonderful, still waiting some of their features in modern desktops like KDE.

  10. Re:The problem is... by AppyPappy · · Score: 4, Informative

    The greatest thing about OS/2 is that it is rock solid and stable. My OS/2 would stay up for months at a time. can't even get Linux to do that in a desktop environment. It had great graphics for the time and applications didn't stomp on each other. I could even run DOS games while I compiled code on my fire-breather 386. I When they finally moved us to Windows, it was hard times. Windows blew up constantly. If you played a DOS game while you compiled, it would freak out like a prom date in a Hummer limo.

    I still have a copy of Warp in the closet of old-school stuff. eBay baby.

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    If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem